The proliferation of computer viruses and/or worm attacks in combination with the tendency for many of these malware mechanisms (e.g., worms, viruses, Trojan horses, rootkits) to propagate into corporate networks reinforce the movement for industry-wide development of network security measures to ensure that unauthorized and incompliant devices are not allowed access to various network assets. One manifestation of these efforts can be seen in the various proprietary and/or standards-based solutions for operating systems to measure various pertinent attributes of a host device. In an endeavor to eliminate, isolate, and reduce the impact and/or effects of malware, these measured attributes of a host device are now often evaluated, with the assistance of operating systems, before allowing that host device to connect to a protected network. Unfortunately, sophisticated malware may even attempt to intercept and alter transmissions within the operating system of the host device in an attempt to cloak their presence from network detection. Other malware is designed to intercept and to alter network authentication/access requests so as to report uninfected results at least until the network connection is activated by the operating system of the host device.